1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to field of home computer network security, and specifically to providing a network backup without breaching the owner's security.
2. Related Art
As more and more devices inside a home become network enabled, and as more and more commercial and private information becomes stored on such devices, the topic of home network security will become increasingly important. Unlike in a commercial environment, home users tend to be unwilling to perform redundant or laborious tasks, simply for the sake of network security. For the average home user, who is not paid to maintain his network, an ideal circumstance would be one in which a device could simply be plugged in, and it would work securely and consistently.
Home network security has commercial implications as well. For example, many digital content delivery systems, such as on-demand movies transferred via cable systems, rely upon unique identification of the recipient. The more secure home networks are proved to be, the more comfortable content providers are likely to be with such delivery systems. Moreover, the more secure the home network, the less likely the consumer is to have mistaken or fraudulent transactions applied to his account.
Unfortunately, such an ideal situation is unrealistic, given current technology.
One scheme for home network security works to streamline the process. A single device, most commonly a gateway, such as a router, between the home network and the home's Internet service provider (ISP), serves as a registrar for every device on the home network. When a new device is added to the network, some method of introducing the device to the gateway is used. A number of different methods of introduction are available, ranging from a relatively simple approach like pressing a button on the gateway and device at the same time, to a more complicated and secure method, such as using a hardware dongle to transfer a unique identifier, e.g., a private or secret key, from the gateway to the device.
Additionally, or in conjunction with the above described scheme, the home gateway can also be registered with the ISP. This can be done in number of ways, such as an automated system for detecting the presence of home gateway on the ISP's network, or the customer placing a phone call at the time of home gateway installation. Such a process allows the ISP to be certain of the identity of the home gateway; that is, to be able to associate a unique gateway with unique customer, in such way that billing for individualized content delivery, for example, becomes easy and straightforward. One method of implementing this approach is to have the ISP provide the home gateway with a credential, e.g., a certificate, signed by the ISP, verifying that the home gateway belongs to this particular customer of the ISP. This credential can then be passed on to the individual devices inside the home network, for use when engaging in some network processing that requires authentication or identification.
An issue with this particular scheme, and with other similar approaches, is that a failure in the gateway results in a complete loss of registrar data, and requires that every device be reregistered with the new gateway. A similar problem occurs when the gateway is replaced, for example, because of improvements in technology. If the ISP is replaced, a similar issue occurs, in that all of the credentials provided by the ISP are no longer valid. It is a system based entirely on establishing trust: the home gateway and the ISP trust each other, because they were introduced using a trustworthy system; the home gateway and the individual network devices trust each other, again because they were introduced using a trustworthy system. If either, or both, the ISP or the home gateway is changed, the chain of trust is broken, and the relationship must be re-created from scratch.
The relationship between the home gateway and the home network devices can be backed up. At present, in order to do this, the unique identifier known only to the gateway and the device have to be stored elsewhere. However, much like sharing a password, the security of the home network is compromised when a secret key is known to more than the home gateway and the device. With that secret (such as a public/private keypair), and access to the gateway, an unauthorized device could be used to gain access to the network, and also to the customer's unique identity, as certified by the ISP.